Worse Than Death
by K. Fang-sama
Summary: Taking a break from beyblading, Kai heads to his present home, which he shares with everyone's most annoying boy genius. When curiosity takes its wretched course, Kai finds himself being dragged on Shen Gong Wu hunts. Will the adventure help the two bond, or will it send them tumbling to the ground?
1. Pain in the Ass

this is short, i kno, but i couldnt help myself! read ppl!

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"Worse Than Death:  
Chapter One;  
Pain In The Ass"

Kai sat on the plane heading back home, feeling all of his excitement from his last tournament drain out of him completely as the flight attendant informed the passengers that they'd be landing in China real soon. Now, this wasn't a trip to visit Ray, no; the neko-jin was spending his time off in the Bahamas with his parents. And Kai desperately wished that it were. But alas, just as the plane landed, Kai could feel his annoyance settle into an eternal scowl.

This was going to be a _long_ three months...

Kai got his carry-on bag then went to pick up the rest of his luggage, trying to think of the positive as he picked up what he had packed. It's not that he minded coming here; it was a hell of a lot better than his grandfather's place, as far as he was concerned. And to be honest, he was happy that he moved into a different home two years ago. No home was ever perfect, though.

And the problems with his were too irritable for his liking...

"Kai! Hey!" A frilly voice shrilled through the halls of the airport, making Kai sigh. Speaking of problems; Kai turned his head just in time to have a teen hug him tightly. The guy was about two years younger than he was, with ghostly white skin that was dressed in a pair of black pants, a black lab coat, boots, fingerless gloves, as well as a weird red backpack and yellow, swirl-patterned lab glasses. The teen had spiked crimson hair and piercing red eyes, much like his own, and wore black eyeliner underneath his eyes.

Annoyed, Kai pushed him off. "We talked about this Jack." He reminded the boy. "The three-second rule, remember?" He added in.

Jack nodded once. "Right, sorry..." He trailed of, taking one of Kai's bags and following him out of the building. "Mom and Dad left for a six-month cruise last month; it's going to be you and me while we're home." Jack informed the older teen.

The Russian sighed. "When are they not on vacation when I'm home?" He questioned rhetorically. Honestly, he spent more time with the red-head than the guy's own parents did. That on its own, considering the time he had spent there, he could honestly say he knew Jack better than they did.

Chuckling nervously, Jack helped Kai get his stuff packed into his hover carrier before taking the driver's seat and taking off with the teen. "I saw the tournament," he started up, not liking the unnerving silence that Kai always created, "you and the Blade Breakers were amazing! I had no idea you were having Dranzer holding back such fire power." He commented.

The elder teen smirked. He supposed, out of everyone in the household, Jack was probably the one who knew him best, despite not knowing much. "Thanks." He said, sending a proud look his way. "Your last e-mail talked about one of your heroes," he started up.

"You mean Chase."

Kai nodded. "Tell me about the guy." He told the teen, intrigued by this new person.

Jack talked the whole trip home about the guy, as expected, and with all the things he told him, Kai couldn't help the mixed feeling of understanding and disgust. Jack was a desperate idiot, that he knew, so he understood that Jack would want to show his heroes he was serious. However, he found himself disgusted that Jack would allow himself to be used so easily.

That would have to change.

They arrived at the house, Jack-bots not guarding the perimeter like they used to, informing the teen that Jack was low on money which meant that he couldn't get more robot parts. He walked inside, noticing the red-cyclops that had once been there the year before. "Where's Wuya?" He questioned the engineer.

Jack groaned. "With Chase." He answered. That would figure; Wuya wouldn't want to stick around Jack if there was a better option out there, in which there was. He wasn't surprised that it happened, really, it had been brought up before while he was out with his team. It was more along the lines that despite Jack's determination to become an emperor, he was a walking tool that could be used and throne away at will, and the worst part was that he was so damn desperate, he was too blind to realize it.

Just as Jack began to complain, Kai took a whiff of the air around him. "What's that smell?" He asked the 'genius' curiously.

Jack's form stiffened slightly before he began to race to the kitchen. "Well," he started, going through the kitchen and checking on the dinner progress, "when I heard you were heading home, I thought I'd surprise you with your favorite; smoked-salmon with homemade cocktail sauce, asparagus with a garlic sear, and white rice with chopped bell peppers." He informed the teen.

Kai blinked twice. "Didn't expect you to pull out the welcome wagon like this." He stated flatly.

The red-head smiled. "I know, but since it's your first night back, I thought I'd make you something nice." He stated kindly.

The Russian teen smirked. "This may have been one of your smartest accomplishments yet." He stated, heading into the living room as an excited squeal came. "Let me know when dinner's ready." He instructed, heading into their living room and reaching for a book. Their were a lot of good books on the shelves before him and all he needed was one to keep him satisfied for the next hour. He picked up Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente; finding himself entranced by the city ruled by Casimira. It was a strange world, he had to admit, but he was ultimately impressed with the end result through the suffering of others.

He read throughout the hour, practically hypnotized by the wonders of literature; closing the book just as Jack rang the gong and signaled dinner. True to his word, Jack did make his favorite. And for a boy who spent all day in a lab hidden in his basement, he was impressed. Jack did have culinary skill, that much was obvious.

As the two ate, Jack continued to rant about his new plans and how the Xiaolin would soon be bowing before him, but Kai didn't pay him any mind. He was used to hearing this stuff; used to it well enough that he rather quickly blocked out the teen. However, in courtesy of being a little nice since he made awesome food, he would nod and add in his own comment every now and then to make the ignorant evil-doer believe that he was listening.

Kai entered the bland room that was always left vacant for him, dropping everything he had before taking off his shoes and lying down on his bed. The flight left him exhausted, and according to the time, it was still early evening. Beside the matter, Kai reached for his earplugs so as to block out Jack's loud metal music and turned on his side; closing his eyes and forcing himself to forget about the nuisance he lived with.

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i went back to watching Xiaolin Showdown and wondered what type of story this would turn in to. i hope uve enjoyed!  
_**~ K. Fang-sama**_


	2. Intrigued

okay, second chap...enjoy!

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"Chapter Two;  
Intrigued"

Kai sat in the basement of the large mansion, watching the video files on Jack's computer consisting of his Shen Gong Wu hunts. Most every video he came across wasn't all too surprising to him, but he was immensely bored as of right now. He had read every good book in the library, he already spent half his day training both with his beyblade and physically, and honestly, with all of this being the only things he would use to regularly keep himself occupied, watching Jack's attempts at nabbing Wu was the only promising entertainment.

As he skimmed through the files, he found himself staring at a file from not too long ago. Chase Young was in it, and-as expected-was using Jack as a puppet. Kai had to make a mental note so as to make sure that he watched the red-head while he was at home. These situations caused a lot of trouble and the last thing the Russian teen needed was a explanation to the woman in charge of the house an unacceptable reason as to why her son couldn't come to the phone and then have to go save his ass from whatever trouble he was in.

As red orbs stared at the video footage, Kai watched in amazement all the effects of the Shen Gong Wu. The right combinations could definitely be used for one's benefit; probably the only reason why Chase kept an eye on them at all. The warlord was smart enough for that, quite sadly; they could never be easy like Jack was.

Just as he reached the end of the footage, the door to the lab slammed open as a whining Jack made his way down the stairs. "How did you get in here?" He questioned the teen, angrily.

He responded with a glare before reminding the young mechanic: "I live here, idiot; it doesn't take much to know your pass codes since they're all the same. If you didn't want anyone breaking in, you should think about changing your security pin." The red head let out an eep, before jumping back. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Kai told him annoyed, continuing to the films; they being his only entertainment.

Jack sighed, wiping his face before walking up to the older teen; a nervous look on his face. "I know, I'm sorry, it's just..." The red head paused, looking to see if his ruby-eyed companion was paying attention to him at all. Unexpectedly, Kai had paused the footage and turned to Jack; best to let the younger teen get it off his chest now rather than let him whine about it later. "I've been losing...a lot, lately. And, all I have to work with is Cy and my Shen Gong Wu; next to that, I haven't gotten anywhere close to Wu; I don't know what to do." He explained, that whiny tone coming through in a loud cry.

Despite getting an earache from it, Kai had only figured as much, and for two reasons. One: this happened even _with_ Wuya around, and two: he had been watching the ginger in front of him fail miserably throughout most of his day. Funny to watch? Yes; just not when you're the one on the receiving end of the drama bomb. In Jack's case, he may as well be the nuke of all the stupid things to fuss over.

All the same, Kai let out a sigh before answering the boy in what sense he saw fit. "So? Just use one of the Shen Gong Wu to form a new plan." He stated, short and sweet. Honestly, Kai himself understood evil more than Jack did, and he could probably pull it off better. However, Kai was reluctant to get involved in getting involved in things that didn't concern him, however; for some strange reason or other; the Shen Gong Wu seemed to have been an exception as of late.

Jack sniffled. "B-but...I don't have anything good to use." He complained.

Kai groaned; this guy was stupider than he made himself out to be. "What about the Sword of the Storm, or the Sphere of Yun? Surely you could plan something decent with one of them." He complained to the younger teen who had been evil longer. Not that it mattered much; one didn't know true evil until it hit you in the face, which it hasn't for Jack. Kai on the other hand has had several encounters.

The teen's crying surprisingly stopped; red eyes blinking as the younger boy stared at the Russian before his face lit up. "You're right! I don't know why I hadn't thought of this one, earlier. The Sphere of Yun is all I need!" He hugged Kai tightly, making the teen groan.

"Three second rule!" The Russian yelled angrily, glaring at the younger boy. After taking a few minutes to calm, he stood before Jack and asked: "Just what do you plan on doing with it?" in all of curiosity; he never admitted it, but he was fascinated by the boy's mission, no matter how many times it was doomed to failure.

Including now. "I'm gonna use the Spere of Yun on Chase Young; once that happens, the cats will be mine to use, and all the Shen Gong Wu will be mine, baby!" The boy cheered, feeling proud of himself. Kai only rolled his eyes; what a child. Although, he will admit, doing something to humiliate the warlord was pretty bold, especially considering how quickly Jack could be used by the 1500 year old man. "You wanna come?"

Red eyes widened slightly as a brow raised towards the younger boy. "What?" Kai questioned, not sure he had heard his roommate correctly.

"You wanna come with me to get the Shen Gong Wu? I've noticed that you watch the battles when you're bored and I thought: 'Why not bring Kai to a real one?' So, I'll ask again: Do you wanna come with me on my next hunt?" He asked the older boy, eyes beaming in hope. He did want to show Kai that he was good at what he did, he just had to get a chance to see it for himself.

Staring at the boy in suspicion, Kai soon found himself shrugging. "So long as you know you're getting the Wu on your own, I've got no problem coming along." He stated, walking past the boy. Jack's head sunk, a bit disappointed; he wanted Kai to come because he had asked, but even he supposed that the idea was too far-fetched. "Besides," Kai started, standing at the top of the staircase. Jack turned to him, eyes beaming upward. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't find your adventures interesting." And with that, Kai had left.

The Russian allowed the boy a level beneath him have his cheers; it was a selfish reason that he had decided to come at all, however, he was more than willing to do so. He felt horrible about the fact, but, he had to get his thirst quenched; he was more than excited to see the world the younger male ventured into.

And he couldn't wait to see it.

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i think everyone can guess where in the series we're at now. anyways, im glad that ive got such good feedback, and i hope ull stick around for when Kai meets the monks and Chase!

Ja ne!  
_**~ K. Fang-sama**_


	3. Hunting Ground

okay, well i hope you've enjoyed chapter two, and hope u get a laugh out of chapter three. Enjoy!

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"Chapter Three;  
Hunting Ground"

Earlier that day, Jack's tracker went off, signalling Kai to get ready for the Wu hunt they were heading into. Said teen decided to put on a different set of clothes for the occasion; nothing all too different from his regular attire, but different still. Kai had kept on his shoes and usual pants, not seeing a point in changing them. However, he had settled in a tight, red tank-top with a white trim around the sleeves (similar to the one he wore in the first season of Beyblade), black half gloves like Jack had been wearing however made out of leather, as well as his standard white scarf.

The pair were both riding Cyclops; looking out onto the desert ahead of them. "A desert. There's a few thousand years worth of digging through sand for ya." Kai stated, not as excited about the idea as he had been earlier that day. To be blunt, he felt like this trip was about to become even more boring than it already was at home. _"There had better be some action while we're here, or else I'm gonna regret coming at all."_ Kai told himself; already annoyed with the predicament.

"Aw, lighten up, Kai!" Jack told his passenger in a confident manner; the same manner that told the teen that today would end in some horrible situation (just as it normally did when Jack got like this). "We've got the Shen Gong Wu tracer in my watch; besides, once my genius plan takes action, no one's gonna be able to stop us!" He screamed to the high heavens.

"Stop _you_." The Russian teen corrected bluntly, using his fist to keep his head up.

"Huh?" Came the genius response.

Kai rolled his eyes. "I told you before that I was willing to come and watch a battle; I never said nor agreed to helping you with whatever plans you have up your sleeve; that's all on you!" He re-informed the younger teen. Kai was curious, true, but not enough to get that involved in Jack's antics. Doing such things would lead to trouble for both of them, and the two-tone-haired teen wanted no part in it.

Jack seemed to have been displeased but said nothing. There wasn't much point in arguing with Kai when he made up his mind; the Russian teen was stronger, difficult to persuade (unless he has his own interests, then it's a bit easier), and finally, he was thorough. Kai may not be big on talking, but his mind was a complex maze that Jack was barely getting through. Mainly because it was a maze of thought and the younger teen could never tell what the latter was thinking about.

Sighing once, Jack turned back to the elder teen; a confused expression on his face. "Hey Kai, can I ask you something?"

"About me fighting or trying to help you on this hunt?"

"Different topic entirely." Jack replied honestly.

Blinking but once, the elder male simply shrugged before saying: "Sure," and awaiting the red-head's question.

Jack was honestly a bit worried; he had thought to say this a thousand times, but he wasn't sure what Kai's reaction would be. If he knew any better, the Russian probably never even told his friends he lived in China nor did they know Jack existed. Regardless, Jack could only help but ask: "What would be your reaction if I told someone that we're re-"

The mechanic cut himself off at noticing a matching pair of red-eyes glaring directly into his, fiercely. "Never mind." He said turning back to his tracker; a glare from the latter had a different message for each situation. In this case, it was a way of saying: **"Don't even think about it!" **Still, the boy genius thought that after a few years of living with each other, Kai would be used to him and not particularly care anymore. If there was one person he found he wanted to impress more than his idols, it was Kai; just enough so he'd accept Jack, that's all.

_"That doesn't seem to be happening soon; let's make this hunt a success, Jack Spicer!"_ His mind chimed. If this went well, then maybe Kai would be more willing to admit the fact. That would be enough for Jack; for the older male to admit the subtle fact and not mind anymore. It was something he dreamed of, but could only wish would come true with how little Kai wanted to interact with him.

_"Maybe bringing him along more often could change that."_ He theorized before looking back at his wrist as the tracker began beeping loudly; alerting the elder teen in the process.

"What does that mean?" Kai asked, not entirely sure where Jack's focus was at.

Jack smirked, exceedingly pleased. "Means we're getting close, baby!"

Interest peaking, Kai stood up; looking at the direction the tracker was pointing to before taking out a set of binoculars. He scanned the landscape for a little while before a lone form caught his eye; green armor, long black hair, lone object being held on a green-gloved finger...yeah, he knew who this was already. And what's worse, he could see a flying dragon further off.

"Chase Young has the Wu, Jack, and he's straight ahead. Monks are just arriving on scene." He informed the boy-genius; the least he could do was warn the latter about what was going on, he supposed. Kai didn't hate Jack to the point he wanted the idiot to get hurt for no good reason (note: there are times when it's necessary). "How do you plan on getting Chase trapped when his guard is up?" He questioned the latter.

Jack smirked. "Easy! Get him to lower his guard." Before Kai could ask how he'd manage, Jack commanded cyclops into the sand so the others wouldn't notice them coming. In the very same breath, Kai found sand getting into his mouth as they proceeded towards the battle in 'stealth mode.'

_"Note to self: keep closer watch on the idiot."_ He thought as they advanced towards Chase Young. Jack's unpredictability tended to be dangerous (mainly to himself), but it also had various possible outcomes on the people around him. Considering what he was about to do, Kai could pretty much see the boy failing at some point, and the negative impact would somehow be coming from Chase Young.

As they got close, Kai could hear Chase's voice ring through his ears as he spoke to the cheese ball, Omi. "You've learned well." He complemented. "Now, show me something I don't know."

Just as Chase said it, Cyclops grabbed a hold of his right leg, making the three present the center of their opponents' attention. "Say hello to my little friend," Jack said as they lifted Chase above ground level. As the idiot twosome smirked at the sight, Kai retreated from the saddle he was once seated in alongside Jack. Things were going to get bad for the mechanic real fast.

"Is this the best you can do, Jack?" Chase questioned rhetorically just as Kai hit the ground. Before the ginger knew it, Chase had promptly kicked the Shen Gong Wu into Cy's one eye; sending both he and the red giant to the ground. "The idea is adequite, but the execution is lacking...as are you."

Kai could only place a palm to his forehead. _"Imbecile."_ He thought; Kai knew Jack was bad, but that was just pathetic. **_"'Easy! Get him to lower his guard.'"_** He recalled Jack saying. _"Was that done on purpose, or was he just trying to look cool?"_ He wondered. Jack may be an idiot, but even _he_ had good ideas every once in awhile.

Kai watched the younger teen as he spit out sand from his mouth before yelling: "Oh yeah! Well I've got something that you don't!"

"Very small hands?" The warlord teased, getting a snicker out of Kai. You could tell who was the smarter evil-doer in a heartbeat.

"No...the Sphere of Yun!" He corrected, activating the Shen Gong Wu and trapping the ebony male in the process. Okay...that deserved a bit of credit; after all, Jack did manage to follow through with his plan. Even still, Kai couldn't help but feel Jack's chance was purely dumb luck on the warlord's part; taking someone for granted got you nowhere, even if that someone was an idiot.

"Hah! Who's your evil-bad-dude now?" Jack's ever-so-annoying gloating tone signaled as he cheered: "I'm bad! I'm bad! I not only have Chase captured; I have his powers too!"

Kai's eyebrow raised as the dragon-Dojo, he recalled the name being-looked through the ancient scroll of the Shen Gong Wu to see if Jack was indeed right. Unfortunately for the good-doers present, Jack was one-hundred percent accurate, only making the teen's eyes widen. Well, this won't end well. "Cool! So, that means...the jungle cats are under my command."

Red eyes wide, Kai watched Jack's new-found-servants take the Xiaolin down with ease. A good idea...this could only end badly for Jack, he knew it. Once Chase was out of the Sphere of Yun, he was certain to get Jack back for it. "Hey Kai, you coming?" Blinking once, he climbed back on Cyclops' back; setting a timer on his watch in the process. "Here kitty-kitties, come to papa Jack!" The redhead commanded, getting the cats to return to him.

As the Cy stood up (Jack in the saddle and Cy holding the Spere of Yun Chase was trapped in), the younger teen began to laugh. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, Spicer; it may come back to chew you." Chase advised.

Kai watched Jack move to get in better view of Chase before taunting: "Oh yeah? Ask yourself: who would you rather be right now? Me or you?"

They made their way to Chase's palace; the two idiots smirking and the guest they had brought only thinking one thing: "His ego's going to be the death of him."

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good? bad? plz tell me! id like to know if im failing or not. Thx for reading!  
~ K. Fang-sama


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